


The strength of the wolf is the pack

by erytheis



Series: Wizard Tony [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hydra (Marvel), Magic, Werewolf Steve Rogers, Werewolves, Wizard Tony Stark, mild gore in some descriptions, the avengers find out about tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-12 22:54:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18456281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erytheis/pseuds/erytheis
Summary: Finding the scepter was proving more difficult than what it had originally seemed. The glowing stick of destiny wasn't in this French base, but there was something worse, and the team was in danger.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! I know I didn't promise anything about continuing this series, because I wasn't sure I would deliver, but I've been thinking about writing this story since I finished the first part, and I actually started months ago (I'm so slow), but I wanted to finish it before posting what I had and then maybe never update. 
> 
> This is an AU where Tony is a wizard in Harry Potter's world, and you don't need to read the first part to follow this, even if in the next chapters there are some references to it. Also, there are some mentions to canon characters from HP, and there's a reason for Tony knowing them (someday I might -might!- write about it). I will say more about Tony's magical side of the family and his backstory in next chapters, but meanwhile if you have any questions, or want to talk about your own headcanons, you can find me on tumblr at karasouders.tumblr.com
> 
> There's some sentences in French, if you're on your computer the translation should show up if you hover over it. If you're on mobile, the translations are in the notes at the end. 
> 
> English isn't my first language, and French isn't either, so if you find any mistake please tell me and I'll correct it. I hope you like this, have a nice day!

“Shield was wrong, guys. The scepter isn’t here.” Tony informed the team through the comms as soon as JARVIS finished scanning the fortress, no traces of the scepter’s signature.

“Still a Hydra base. Let’s find out what they were doing here.” Cap answered, out of breath.

“JARVIS found several bio-signs in the dungeons. I think they’re prisoners.”

“Then go over there and make sure they’re safe. When the base’s secure, we’ll alert the police.”

“They could be dangerous, too, Captain,” Natasha intervened. As usual, her voice sounded perfectly normal, the only evidence of her participating in a battle were the muffled screams of the Hydra scum she was dealing with. “Our intel said it was human experimentation. We just assumed it was with the scepter.”

“More reason to get them safe. Iron Man, do you need backup?”

“I got it. Already heading there.” Tony stepped out of the suit, since trying to go down the narrow staircase while wearing bulky armor would be anything but practical. “You can go outside, JARVIS. Help the others.”

At the bottom of the steps, Tony found exactly what he’d imagined. A long, dark corridor, with tiny and nightmare-inducing cells on each side, everything right out of a horror movie. Including the open door of one of the cells, ominously swinging and creaking, and a dead body just a few meters away from it. Ugh.

Tony focused on the body, but only after he looked at some of the cells. In each of them there was a person, either unconscious on the floor or curled up in the farthest corner. The dead man was probably a prisoner that had tried to escape.

But he wasn’t. The man was a Hydra goon, dressed in the same black uniform from the ones he’d fought outside, while the prisoners there were wearing tattered clothes at their best. Tony turned the Hydra soldier on his back and couldn’t stop a little horrified gasp. The man’s face and chest were completely destroyed, cuts and human sized bites and blood covering every surface of skin available. The left eye had been scratched right out of its socket, and it bounced disgustingly on the floor. So Natasha was right, the prisoners were the dangerous ones.

“What happened here?” Tony yelled at one of the prisoners awake. No answer came, so he banged his fists on the cell bars, the metallic sound echoing through the corridor.

“He escaped.” It wasn’t the man he was looking at who spoke, but a woman on the opposite cell, strong accent in her voice. Tony turned around and stared at her. She looked exhausted and famished, and probably far older than she really was. Her hair was streaked with white, and her eyes hollow, and her skin sickly pale, but her hands were young.

“What has Hydra done to you?”

“Torture us. For months.”

“No, I mean. What had they turned you into. That,” Tony pointed at the dead man. “is not normal. And I’ve also been tortured, and yes, I also killed my kidnappers, but… This is just vicious.”

“He was like this long before Hydra got to him.” She actually seemed to dislike the other prisoner. And she also sounded perfectly lucid and human, just like an innocent victim. Tony might have fallen for that if not for the mutilated man on his feet.

“Still not taking my chances. I’m not letting anyone out until I know what you’re capable of.”

“We don’t want you to.” That came from another cell, from a kid who couldn’t be a day over twenty, but still he looked so weary and old. “Not today. It’s a full moon.”

Tony frowned, for a moment he couldn’t understand where he was going with that, but then realization hit him.

“Fuck, you’re werewolves,” he muttered, figuratively slapping himself for not seeing it sooner. The signs were there, the premature aging, the roughness, the tired eyes. Still, it had been a long time since he’s been around a werewolf. And he definitely didn’t expect to find any in the dungeons of a French Hydra base.

“You know about us,” the kid said, surprise in his face. Maybe he’d expected to be laughed at.

“Yeah, well, even you Europeans should’ve heard of Tony Stark.”

“You have to find him,” the woman said again. “He’s dangerous enough as it is, during a full moon… He will kill anything that moves.” Tony’s mind was already working through a thousand plans to subdue him without the other Avengers knowing about it. He wouldn’t have a lot of time, the sun was already setting.

“What happened, did Hydra turn him insane?” Tony asked, because despite what the governments wanted to spread around, werewolves usually weren’t irrational beasts; they were civilized humans, like the ones in the cells, who suffered too much and were looked down upon for something that wasn’t their fault.

“No. Greyback’s always been like this.” Tony’s head snapped at the third voice, the man he’d first tried to address. He was shivering, already showing signs of the imminent transformation in his face.

“Greyback’s dead. Since the Battle of Hogwarts.”

“He obviously isn’t. The old _salaud_ is still kicking.” The man emphasized it by gesturing at the dead Hydra agent on the floor.

“Fuck!” Tony yelled, and bolted up the stairs. If it really was Greyback, then he’d love to blow his head off and make sure he really was dead this time, but first he had to find him, and it wouldn’t be long until he transformed. And even if it wasn’t Greyback, well, he still was a werewolf on the loose during a full moon crazy enough to maul a person in his human form.

“JARVIS, bring me the suit back!” Tony couldn’t contact the team without the armor, but he still could talk to JARVIS with his ever-present earpiece. Maybe he should upgrade it so he could also talk to them outside his suit. Or maybe he should just stick to the armor while in battle.

“I can’t, sir,” JARVIS answered by the time Tony climbed the last step. He could already hear the agonizing screams of the prisoners downstairs as they started to lose control to their vicious counterparts. There wasn’t enough time. “Black Widow’s been hit, and nobody else is close enough to cover her.”

“Stay with her. And tell the team they should retreat. Well, maybe not Thor or Hulk, but alert Cap and Hawkeye. Please.”

“Will do, sir.” Tony nodded and apparated outside the castle, just in time to surprise a lone Hydra soldier that was trying to camouflage himself in the bushes. Tony didn’t give him much time to react, knocking him out with one of his trademarked spells. He wouldn’t wake up until the battle was long over, but with a werewolf running around, he was really doing him a favor.

After making sure there weren’t more Hydra soldiers around, Tony dropped to his knees. He could have tried a regular tracking spell, but they were ridiculously complicated to cast without a wand. It would be easier if he had something Greyback, or whoever the werewolf was, had touched, but he wasn’t particularly keen on going back to the dungeons to get a piece of the dead man.

So Tony put his hands flat on the ground and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. The Mohawk ritual wasn’t easier than the tracking spell, quite the opposite, since he’d never used it before and wasn’t even sure if it would work. Its purpose was to locate the magical aura of any Hidebehind close by, to avoid it, so maybe it would also locate the werewolf. Hopefully.

Tony started muttering the words he only half-remembered. He hadn’t paid enough attention to that lesson in particular, since at the moment his Mechatronics project and the rest of his MIT work were more important to him than how to avoid an already extinct creature. Oh, well.

A shiver run down his back as he started sensing the danger surrounding him, so it was working. But everything pointed back to the castle, where he already knew were at least a dozen werewolves, and they were concealing Greyback’s trail.

Tony closed his hands into fists and punched the ground in frustration, breaking the connection. “JARVIS, can you try scanning the woods for the werewolf?”

“There are too many people around, sir, I cannot pinpoint a location. The only highly unusual readings are the Hulk and Thor.”

Tony got back on his feet, feeling useless. If he had the suit he could at least search the area from the air, and maybe he or JARVIS would find him. But at that moment the only thing he could do is go across the woods like an idiot, hoping to luckily run into the werewolf. “Is anybody else with Natasha? Can you leave her?”

“I’m afraid not. Hawkeye is here but he is attending to her medical needs. I have to cover them. I’m sorry, sir.”

“No JARVIS, it’s okay. I want you to stay with them. As soon as you can, grab them and fly them back to the Quinjet. I don’t want them out here.”

Tony sighed, and suddenly his plan of running around until he found the werewolf wasn’t such a bad idea. Werewolves tended to be drawn to wizards, after all.

So Tony started running, jumping over rocks and dodging branches, throwing curses at any Hydra goon unlucky enough to cross his erratic path before they even knew he was there. Only a couple managed to see him first, and one of them fired his gun before Tony could knock him off. The bullet only grazed his arm, but the wound started bleeding profusely, and it fucking hurt. Still, he kept going.

“Sir, Captain America is in need of help,” JARVIS’s voice startled Tony, and he nearly tripped over a fallen tree trunk. “He was fighting a squad of Hydra agents when he reported being attacked by a feral wolf.”

“What?!” Tony screamed, stopping dead in his tracks. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

“Captain says the wolf is only attacking the Hydra agents. He is roughly 1,200 meters northwest from your current position. Turn 70 degrees to your right.”

Tony took off immediately, running as fast as he could through the uneven ground, and soon JARVIS’s course corrections weren’t needed, since the piercing screams were a much better guide. It only took him a few minutes to arrive at the clearing, but he was too late.

At least a dozen Hydra soldiers were scattered around, all dead and covered in blood. The werewolf was looming over the last Hydra agent breathing, but not for long, since his heart was literally ripped out from his chest as his last scream and plead of mercy faded away. Then the werewolf snapped his head to the other side of the clearing, and Tony followed his gaze.

“Tony, get out of here!” Steve was there, shield raised and eyes determined, as if vicious wolves were a normal thing to encounter during an Avengers mission. Tony wanted to scream at him why hadn’t he used the opportunity to flee, why was he still there. Did he have a death wish or something?

But instead Tony ran to the werewolf, who was already closing on Steve. “ _Arres... Arresto Momentum_!” Tony shouted the incantation despite his labored breathing, but the lack of wand made the charm erratic, and instead of only slowing down the werewolf, Steve was also affected. Tony got to see in slow motion as the werewolf jumped on Steve, directly to his neck, and both fell on the ground, while Tony was still a few meters away. His already precarious concentration broke off, but he didn’t let the werewolf strike again. “ _Stupefy_! _Immobulus_! _Depulso_!”

As expected, the charms didn’t do much against a transformed werewolf, but at least he was thrown away from Steve and seemed to pause momentarily.

“ _Confringo_!” Tony casted when he was sure Steve wouldn’t be targeted by mistake, and the explosion seemed to be more effective. The werewolf shrieked in pain and turned to Tony, ready to attack. “ _Confringo_! Incendio! _Diffindo_!”

The werewolf doubled over in pain as flames licked his body and wounds appeared on his skin, and then stood up on his hind legs, standing as tall as Thor, and howled. Tony took advantage of it and before the werewolf attacked him, he casted his modified Incarcerous Spell. Normal looking ropes appeared and bounded the werewolf, immobilizing him. Theoretically, these ropes should withstand the Hulk, so it was over.

“I swear, if you’re Fenrir Greyback, when you’re human again I’ll personally kill you, no remorse,” Tony said to the struggling werewolf on the ground. He knew he couldn’t understand him during a full moon, but still, Tony needed to say it. “For Remus. And Bill. And all the innocents you’ve made suffer. And Steve.”

Tony casted the Silencing Spell around the werewolf and turned to Steve, already fearing the worst. He was lying still on the ground, exactly where he’d fallen after the werewolf had struck. But as Tony approached and fell to his knees beside him, he could see Steve was still alive, and conscious.

“Tony, I’m… I think I’m… dreaming…” Steve muttered, opening his eyes slightly and trying to reach his neck. Tony sighed when he saw the ugly bite wound, already infected, but at least Steve was alive. He could still save him.

“Shut up, Steve.”

“Did you… Did fire come out of your hands?”

“Not really. I’m sorry. But I promise you’ll be alright.” Tony whispered and casted the Sleeping Charm on Steve. He had to get him to a wizarding hospital right away, and then maybe Steve would survive. The only reason he was still alive probably was the super soldier serum, because No-Majs rarely survived a werewolf attack.

“Fire _did_ come out of your hands.” Tony was startled by Clint’s voice behind him. He was at the edge of the clearing, keeping Natasha upright, the armor hovering over them.

“JARVIS!”

“Sorry, sir, they were insistent.”

“Whatever, there’s no time. J, make sure the werewolf doesn’t escape. Alert the French Aurors, but don’t let them take him.”

Tony didn’t wait for JARVIS’s confirmation before he grabbed Steve’s arm and apparated them both to the magical hospital of Paris. Miraculously, since the hospital was a good 400 miles away, and he’d only been there once, none of them seemed to be missing any limbs.

“ _À l’aide! Un loup-garou l’a mordu, c’est un non-magique. Dépêchez-vous!_ ” Tony yelled as people started rushing to them. He tried to stand, but his legs buckled under him, and nausea kicked in. Wizards didn’t apparate that far for a reason. “Steve! _Où est-il?_ ” Tony asked when someone helped him stand up. Healers had come and gone, and Steve was nowhere to be seen.

“ _Il est soigné par les guérisseurs_ _._ _On vous dira quand ils ont fini_ _._ _Tu devrais rester, ça va aller._ ” Tony was guided to a chair in a crowded waiting room and a few spells from the healer took care of the wound on his arm. Exhaustion overcame him as soon as the healer was done and left. He hadn’t spent so much magic in a single day since his Ilvermorny days, with the exception of the Battle of Hogwarts, so of course he was dead on his feet. Apparition was particularly draining, especially over great distances.

“JARVIS, is the werewolf secured and away from the team?” Tony asked as he closed his eyes, trying to even out his breathing.

“I brought Hawkeye and Black Widow back to the Quinjet, and Thor and Banner arrived shortly after. They’re going back to the tower. The armor returned and remains standing guard over the werewolf. The ropes appear strong enough.”

“They better be. It took me several months to perfect the spell.”

“Sir, the Avengers are asking questions.”

“Just tell them doctors are taking care of Steve, and that he’ll be alright. I’ll deal with the rest tomorrow.”

Tony waited for a few hours, and he fell asleep at least twice. The last time he’d been woken up by a couple of children chattering barely five feet away from them. They keep throwing him amazed looks, but when Tony waved at them, they ran back to what appeared to be their mother.

“ _Vous pouvez venir ici, je ne mords pas,_ ” Tony cringed as soon as he said it, remembering Steve, but forced himself to smile at the two kids looking at him with big eyes.

“ _Tu es l’Homme de Fer_ _?_ ” The older one, a boy no more than seven years old, asked him as he got a little closer.

“ _Oui. Mais je n’ai pas mon armure ici._ "

“ _Où est-elle_ _?_ "

“ _Elle surveille le loup-garou qui a fait du mal à mon ami._ ”

The kids gasped, and the younger one ran back to her mother to hide in her lap. She looked at Tony disapprovingly.

“Sorry. _C’était une plaisanterie. Il s’est cassé le bras en jouant au Quidditch_ ,” Tony lied. “ _L’armure est à ma maison._ ”

“ _Tu joues au Quidditch?_ " The older one asked. “ _Je veux être un joueur de Quidditch! Quel est ton poste préféré?_ ”

“Ugh…” Tony hesitated, he’d never cared about Quidditch or other sports, to be honest, so he was at a lost. Finally, he was saved by a healer calling for the family, so he had some quiet time before he also was called.

Steve was alright. Well, as alright as a newly turned werewolf could be. But at least the wound was treated, and he would survive. He would never be the same again, but he would live. Apparently the super soldier healing hadn’t done much besides letting him live long enough to be treated, and now it was slightly speeding his healing.

Tony had a lot to explain to Steve, and assurances to make, and Wolfsbane Potion to brew. But first, he needed to make sure Steve was really alright, and answer a lot of questions to the French Aurors about how Captain America had been bitten by a werewolf, and ask the French Ministry of Magic authorization to create a Portkey to get back to New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French translations:
> 
> salaud - bastard
> 
> À l’aide! Un loup-garou l’a mordu, c’est un non-magique. Dépêchez-vous! - Help! A werewolf bit him, he's a no-maj. Hurry up!
> 
> Où est-il? - Where is he?
> 
> Il est soigné par les guérisseurs. On vous dira quand ils ont fini. Tu devrais rester, ça va aller. - He's being treated by the healers. We'll tell you when they're done. You should rest, come on.
> 
> Vous pouvez venir ici, je ne mords pas. - You can come here, I don't bite.
> 
> Tu es l’Homme de Fer? - Are you Iron Man?
> 
> Oui. Mais je n’ai pas mon armure ici. - Yes. But I don't have my armor here. 
> 
> Où est-elle? - Where is it?
> 
> Elle surveille le loup-garou qui a fait du mal à mon ami. - It's watching over the werewolf who hurt my friend.
> 
> C’était une plaisanterie. Il s’est cassé le bras en jouant au Quidditch. L’armure est à ma maison. - It was a joke. He broke his arm playing Quidditch. The armor is at my house. 
> 
> Tu joues au Quidditch? Je veux être un joueur de Quidditch! Quel est ton poste préféré? - Do you play Quidditch? I want to be a Quidditch player! What's your favorite position?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter, I'll post the last one soon! 
> 
> I promised some insight about Tony's past, so here it is. When I wrote the first fic I made Maria a British witch from a pureblood family, I just don't know why, she could have been from anywhere else, but anyway. Then I thought more about it and since I love Felix Rosier from Hogwarts Mystery I decided to make him Tony's cousin, but then I remembered Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa's mother was also a Rosier, and the family expanded without me being able to do anything... I made this [family tree](https://imgur.com/OXItl3T) to clear things up. 
> 
> Also, the reason Tony knows Bill is because Tony was originally supposed to go to Hogwarts in September 1981, but Maria didn't want to send him while the war was going on, so he started a year later when Bill was also a first year. Tony didn't like Hogwarts, he prefered Ilvermorny, so he only stayed one year, but it was enough to become good friends with Bill and make Felix doubt the pureblood views of their family. Maybe someday I'll write something about it :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Have a nice day <3

It was almost nine a.m. when Tony was finally authorized to transport back to New York. After a whole night worrying about Steve and debriefing with the French Aurors he was exhausted, but having to Floo-call with the MACUSA Werewolf Regulations Department was definitely the worst of it. Haven’t they heard of Skype? One day Tony would go crazy about the wizard’s lack of technology.

Being turned into a werewolf abroad was always tricky, but especially if you were a No-Maj. The French wanted to keep Steve until his status as a werewolf was officially recorded by the MACUSA, but the proceedings would take weeks, so Tony had to pull some strings. Which meant calling none other than the President of the MACUSA and demand a speedy permit for Steve to transport to the US. At least he could talk to Bennet on the phone, like a civilized human being on the 21st century.

And he was Tony Stark, so of course he got a monthly procedure done in roughly six hours, and the French still thanked him.

Tony was running on anger and coffee alone when he was brought again into Steve’s room. As soon as the sun’s gone up, JARVIS had contacted him and confirmed the identity of the werewolf. It really was Fenrir Greyback, and Tony wanted nothing but to apparate back into the French countryside and kill Greyback right there, with his own hands, but instead he took a look at Steve, sickly pale and far from the peak human perfection his father had always been so proud of, and told JARVIS to keep him sedated, close the suit around him and bring him back to New York, careful to stay behind the sunrise.

And then, after a few hours, Tony would get to have some revenge.

JARVIS also informed him he had many missed calls from Hill and the Avengers, even a few from Fury.

“Tell them we’ll be back in real soon, and I’ll explain everything.” Tony draw in a deep breath, already dreading what was to come. “Then I’ll _Obliviate_ them.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t, sir.”

“What? JARVIS, are you saying I should violate the Statute of Secrecy? You?”

“You’ve already done it plenty of times, and always come out unscathed.” Despite the circumstances, Tony snorted. “But that’s not the point, sir. You cannot _Obliviate_ Captain Rogers now that’s he’s classified as a magical beast.”

“Don’t… Don’t call him that. But you’re right. Steve won’t let me _Obliviate_ the team. I’ll have to call Bennet again, and she won’t be happy.”

“Perhaps the same agreement you reached regarding Doctor Strange will also work with the Avengers?”

“Perhaps…”

So that was another thing added to his to-do list Tony wasn’t too eager to get down to. But first, transporting back.

Tony looked at his watch, nine minutes to when he’d set the portkey. So he grabbed the empty coffee cup he’d charmed (so what, he had it in his hand when they’d authorized the portkey), and sat down in a very uncomfortable chair beside Steve’s bed, staring at him.

Steve still looked bad, but better than expected. Bill had definitely looked worse after Greyback attacked him, and not even in a full moon, but maybe it was because Steve’s bandages only covered his neck and torso, face unaffected.

But Tony couldn’t help but feel incredibly guilty, because Steve’s life had been turned upside down, and he was afraid Steve would resent him for it. If only he’d deployed the Iron Legion, then they would have protected Clint and Natasha, and he would’ve found and subdued Greyback before anything happened. If only he’d deduced the obvious faster, and bought time for the team to evacuate. If only…

“Tony?” Steve asked, voice raspy and eyes unfocused. “What…?

“Hell no. You’ll want to be asleep, believe me. But you’ll be okay. I’m so sorry,” Tony said softly before casting the Sleeping Charm on him again. But it was better if he was asleep, considering they would be transporting back to New York in a few minutes, where it was still the middle of the night. He wouldn’t turn, not this month, but it still would hurt. “I’m so sorry, Steve,” Tony repeated, resting his elbows on the bed and burying his head on his hands.

Guilt and exhaustion were never a good combination with Tony. Ironic, considering he experienced both too frequently.

Tony jumped when the alarm on his phone went off, only one minute to transport back. He grabbed the cup and put it in Steve’s hand, holding it in place with his own, and waited until the portkey activated.

The next second Tony was crouching besides Steve, lying on the floor of the Tower’s medbay. Hopefully there was no one else in the room, but Tony knew JARVIS would have already alerted the others, so he stood up, fighting the urge to throw up the disgusting hospital coffee, and levitated Steve to one of the beds. The elevator pinged just when Tony was easing Steve’s body down.

“What the hell, man? Where’ve you been? What happened?” Clint asked as he stepped into the room, eyes obviously filled with worry when he saw Steve lying on the bed.

“Ugh, well.” Tony had much to explain, and no clue where to begin. “JARVIS, wanna give me a hand?”

“My programming prevents me from violating the Statute of Secrecy, and since you’ve yet to talk to President Bennet again, I’m incapable of giving you a hand, sir.” So JARVIS was chickening out, awesome. Tony sighed, and the elevator’s door opened again, the rest of the team running into the room.

“What happened to him?” Bruce frenetically asked, closing on Steve. For not being that kind of doctor, as he used to say, he sure was acting like one.

“Eh, no, careful,” Tony said when Bruce’s hand started removing Steve’s bandages. “They have to stay until tomorrow, or the wound won’t cicatrize.”

“When did you became an expert on medicine?

“I’m not. Doctor’s orders. I took him to a hospital, Bruce. He’ll be okay.”

“You both just disappeared into thin air!” Clint exclaimed. “And your hands spit fire to that wolf! And now you’re here all of a sudden! What the fuck, man.”

Tony sighed again as he fell onto a chair, too tired to stand. Being awake 33 hours and then spending ungodly amounts of magic still wasn’t a good idea. Specially the magic part, 33 hours were actually mild for Tony Stark.

“Look guys, it’s just… It’s a long story.”

“It sure is,” said Natasha, arms crossed over her chest and not breaking eye contact with Tony.

“I saw the creature before your armor took it away. It was a _vargr_. It bit Steve, did it not?” Thor asked Tony, who nodded. At least someone knew something already.

“Are you telling me an Asgardian thing bit Steve?” Clint asked.

“Not Asgardian.” Then Tony decided to say it bluntly. “It was just a werewolf.”

“Just a… Ha ha, very funny Stark. Steve was bitten by a werewolf. Sure”

“Yeah, well he was! He was bitten by a fucking werewolf! So I took him to a hospital so he wouldn’t die on me, because…” Tony’s voice broke. Clint and Bruce looked very confused, while Thor looked worried, and Nat… she still looked suspicious at him. “He’s alright, he’s not going to die. But yes, he was bitten by a werewolf. And yes, he’s… he’s a werewolf now. But he’s still Steve.”

“And how do you know all that?” Natasha asked.

“I’ve met some werewolves before.”

“Of course. You still didn’t answer my question. How do you know?”

“I think you know how I know.” Tony tried to stall, which was ridiculous, since he would have to end up telling them everything anyway. So he took a deep breath. “I’m a wizard. I know because I’m a wizard. And werewolves are magical creatures.”

For a few seconds an awkward silence filled the room. And then Bruce snapped.

“Oh my God, Tony! Steve was almost killed and you’re throwing jokes around? What is wrong with you?” Bruce started approaching Tony, looking green by the second, and Tony was ready to call a suit when Thor moved in front of him.

“Bruce, I’m not joking. I know it sounds weird, but it’s true.”

Thor was holding Bruce down, gently, so he wouldn’t turn into the Hulk, but firmly enough to keep him from Tony. That and Tony’s sincere tone seemed to calm him a little, but did nothing for Clint.

“How the fuck could you be a wizard?! Goddammit, Tony, first werewolves now this?!” Clint yelled, following Bruce’s steps and walking towards Tony, but Thor was busy with Bruce, and Natasha didn’t make a move to stop him. So Tony let Clint lift him from the chair and slam him into the wall.

“Sir, preparing to engage Protocol Delta-6.”

“No, JARVIS, override!” Tony screamed before Clint tightened his grip, pushing his arm onto his neck. At least JARVIS wouldn’t start firing against the Avengers.

“You hate magic, Stark, everybody knows that. What did Hydra do to you? Are you a fucking impostor?” Tony wanted to snort at that, but the arm blocking his windpipe didn’t allow him much freedom, so he settled for rolling his eyes. The pressure increased.  

Clint wouldn’t do anything to him. They were friends, weren’t they?

“Enough!” Thor yelled, authoritarian tone in his voice. Clint backed down a little on instinct, and Tony could finally breath again. “He’s not an impostor!”

“You said it yourself,” Tony told Clint, voice rough. “My hands spit fire. And I disappeared. That was magic.”

“I don’t believe you! You’re not Tony, something happened when he went to the dungeons alone!”

“Yeah, I fucking found a dozen werewolves Hydra was experimenting on! Come on, Clint! You didn’t doubt Strange for a second, why are you giving me such a hard time?”

Clint let go of him, and Tony fell to the floor, back against the wall and eyes closed. This wasn’t how he expected his confession to go, to be honest, but they had been worried about Steve, and Tony did disappear with him without offering any explanation.

Tony opened his eyes again. Thor wasn’t holding Bruce anymore, and Clint had moved back to Natasha’s side. And everybody kept staring at him silently, the only noise he could hear was Steve’s steady breathing.

“Would that convince you? _Accio_ glass.” The glass on Steve’s bed table flew over to Tony’s open hand.

“Tech,” Natasha said, eyebrow raised. Tony sighed.

“ _Aguamenti_. Is this tech too?” Tony filled the glass halfway, but his friends still looked unconvinced. So he drank the water, the liquid soothing his throat, and placed the glass on the floor between his legs. “ _Avifors_.” After a flash of bright blue light, the glass turned into a small mockingbird, who started chirping instantly.

It was still made of transparent glass, though. Well, Tony was tired, stressed and wandless, and it wasn’t like Professor Espinoza was evaluating him.

“ _Reparifarge_.” The bird turned back into a glass, and Tony looked up at his teammates again. “Do you believe I’m a wizard or what? Nat, I know you suspected something.”

“That wasn’t… like Strange,” Bruce said after another awkward silence.

“Yeah, well, Strange isn’t actually my type of wizard. He uses magic, but he is not magic. I mean… The sources are different.”

“So there’s different types of magic, now? What is this world?” Asked Clint, who at least didn’t look like he wanted to stab Tony anymore.

“We literally have a god right here in this room. Whose brother is also magic. You should be used to crazy things by now.”

“But you hate magic. You’re a science man.”

“Why does everybody think that? As if magic and science aren’t compatible. How do you think I manage to keep the arc reactor cool enough  to not boil me alive? It’s scientifically impossible with the miniaturized version, that’s why I don’t intend to commercialize it.” And because of its dangerous applications, but well. “Bruce, you should at least have suspected this.”

“I… I thought you’d found a way.”

“I did. Not by breaking thermodynamic laws, but by changing the parameters. With magic.”

“This is unbelievable. Nat, I think I’m dreaming, please punch me.” Natasha obliged, and Clint the idiot screamed in pain.

“Can we just go to sleep. You can ask JARVIS about it, if you want. Tomorrow I’ll explain better. Steve… he has to know.”

“So is he… is he really a… werewolf?” Bruce hesitated over the word werewolf.

“Yes. But he’s still Steve.” Tony said, emphatically.

“He is. My nephew is also a _vargr_ , or werewolf as you call them. They can live a normal life.”

“When you say your nephew, do you mean Fenrir or that other son of Loki that… ugh, you know?” Tony asked, and Thor looked somber for a second.  

“They’re one and the same, actually, but he’s a good man. You shouldn’t believe everything the myths say, they’re full of lies.”

“Oh, so you didn’t dress up as a giant’s bride and give yourself away by eating too much?” Natasha asked, a smile on her face, and the tension in the room evaporated. At least for now.

“Okay, it was one time, and I did make a very convincing bride, until the ox arrived.”

 

* * *

 

Clint, Natasha and Thor decided to go back to their floors, but Bruce insisted he stay to watch over Steve. Tony also stayed, in case the Sleeping Charm wore off again, but Bruce wrestled him into another bed, saying he should sleep too, and promised to wake him up in case Steve needed him.

But he was tired beyond sleeping now, and guilt haunted him every time he tried to close his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said to Bruce, voice small.

“What for?”

“For keeping secrets. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I really wasn’t allowed to tell you. Wizarding society is kind of close-minded.”

“There’s a whole society of wizards?” Bruce’s voice sounded surprised, and Tony laughed, as flashbacks of his conversations with Pepper, Rhodey, and more recently Strange came to mind.

“Yeah, and the government doesn’t like people exposing themselves, that’s why there’s a Statute of Secrecy. If a No-Maj learns of our existence, we’re supposed to erase their memories of it, or else we’re in trouble.”

Bruce turned to look at him, a little harsher than necessary. “You’re going to erase our memories?”

“No, no,” Tony was quick to add. “There are exceptions, the Family Clause the most important. I managed to get approval to apply them to Pepper and Rhodey, but it took years. I also asked for it to apply to the Avengers,” Tony recognized, curling into himself. He’d actually asked for it a week after the Avengers had moved in, a little prematurely one would say, but he’d had hope. And maybe he’d now drowned that hope forever.

“Tony… So what will we do?”

“I won’t erase your memories, I can’t. I can’t erase Steve’s now, it’s against the law, and I don’t want to erase yours. I had to erase Pepper once, before the clause applied, and…” Tony choked, remembering it with dread. “I’ll try the Family Clause again, and if it doesn’t work, then I’ll argue the Avengers need to know, for security reasons. With a werewolf on the team, they’ll have to accept.”

“But… you said Steve wouldn’t be a danger.”

“I didn’t.” Tony looked at Steve, still sleeping soundly, and looking calm. Considering the full moon was still high on the sky, it was good news. “I said he would still be Steve, and he will. For most of the time. But during the full moon he will change, and nothing can stop it. I’ll be able to brew a potion to help him keep his human mind, but… he will transform, and it will hurt.”

If anybody would understand, that would be Bruce. Still, Steve would have it worse. Yes, he would only transform once a month, but if he didn’t drink the Wolfsbane Potion he would transform into a mindless monster, unlike the Hulk, who was more rational than Bruce gave him credit for.

“We’ll figure it out. Now go to sleep, Tony. You look like hell.”

“Thank you, I feel like hell. Good night, Bruce.”

“Good night.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Where… where’m I?”

The voice woke Tony up, who didn’t even notice he’d fallen asleep in the first place. After Bruce has sent him to sleep, he’d spent what felt like (and probably were) hours turning around in bed, trying to fall asleep, but every time he closed his eyes he couldn’t help but think about possible future scenarios where Steve and the team hated him, or memories of what he could have done to prevent everything that happened, or intricate plans to disappear and make everybody think he’d never existed. All his choices since the formation of the Avengers were coming back at him and each of them felt like a punch to the stomach, so sleep was definitely out of the question.

But it happened, after all, and at least he could give thanks it had been a dreamless sleep.

Tony opened his eyes and looked to his left, where he saw Bruce helping Steve sit up in bed. Steve still looked pale, but much better than a few hours before, and it didn’t seem he was in any pain.

“The tower’s medbay, Tony brought you back. Does anything hurt?”

Steve looked around, confused. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t remember much of last afternoon/night, but Tony knew the serum also enhanced his memory.

“I got this ointment,” Tony said, getting out of his bed. He pulled out of his pocket the jar with the silver and dittany mixture the healers in the hospital had given him before they left, and handed it to Bruce. He couldn’t look at Steve in the eye. “Now you can take the bandages off. Clean the wound a bit with water, dry it, and apply this, then rebandage.”

Bruce gave the ointment jar a distrusting look, but took and started taking Steve’s bandages off. Steve didn’t seem to notice, though, and stared at Tony with it a confused face, obviously remembering something.

“JARVIS, time.”

“7:14 a.m., three minutes and twenty-four seconds after sunrise. The armor is back.”

Tony sighed in relief, glad he had a (sort of) excuse to get out of there. He couldn’t deal with Steve right now, he needed at least a liter of coffee first.

“Gotta go. This thing should also help a little with the pain, but if it’s not enough tell JARVIS and he’ll send DUM-E down with a potion.”

“Where are you going?” Bruce asked, raising his head, but Tony turned around towards the elevator, ignoring him.

“Wait, Tony! Did you…?”

Thankfully, the doors closed before Steve could finish the sentence. He was just prolonging the inevitable, Tony knew that, but neither Steve or he were ready for the heavy conversation to come.

“Alright, J. Where did you put that fucker?”

“Greyback is still inside the armor, heavily sedated, in the lab. Would you like me to bring him to the Hulk room?

“Might as well,” Tony said and the elevator started moving down. “Keep everyone away from the floor.”

When Tony walked into the Hulk room he found his suit standing guard over a curled up body on the floor. Greyback looked really bad, pathetic even, like any werewolf after a full moon. And his age didn’t help; he couldn’t be younger than seventy, and for a werewolf that was very old, wizard or not.

For a few seconds, Tony just stood there, looking down at that monster. Not because of what he turned into, but for his cruelty in human form. He’d been a Death Eater, after all, and Dora had told him about how her husband had been bitten, when he was just a kid, just because Greyback had a quarrel with his father. Yes, that thing was a monster.

“ _Incarcerous_ ,” conjured Tony, because he was going to take all precautions necessary, despite knowing how week Greyback must be after the transformation and the sedatives. Only after Tony made sure the ropes were tightly wrapped, he proceeded. “ _Rennervate_.”

Greyback woke up instantly, struggling with his bindings and looking confused. He hissed at Tony when he saw him standing above him, but Tony kept his poker face. Greyback struggled a few more seconds, until he seemed to realize he wasn’t going nowhere, not even with his enhanced strength.

“Who are you?” The monster asked, and Tony stayed impassible. In other circumstances he would have pointed out how the damn British wizards never seemed to recognize him, but not when he was in front of a sadistic fascist.

“Everybody thought you were dead, you piece of shit,” Tony spit, hatred in his voice. It became even worse when Greyback dared to laugh.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are. If you’re one of those stuck-up scientists, I’ll let you know I’ll escape again, and I’ll gouge your eyes out, and then I’ll eat them.”

“Funny, I figured you’d be friends with Hydra, you know. They’re Nazis like you Death Eaters, after all.”

Greyback stopped laughing. “I was never a Death Eater, I wasn’t given the mark.”

“I don’t care. You’re a fucking psychopath by your own means, and you’ve hurt enough people. You’ve touched people I care about.”

“That was a long time ago, I’m just an old man now, I’ve changed.”

Now it was Tony’s turn to let out a bitter laugh. “Yes, of course, your little threat before means you’ve totally changed. I also found the guard you mauled while in human form.”

“I’ve been a prisoner for months! I saw an opportunity to escape, and took...”

Tony casted the Choking Curse silently, and saw Greyback stop mid-sentence, making choking sounds while he tried to draw on breath.

“I know who you are, Greyback, and what you’ve done. And yesterday you bit one of my friends, and years ago you attacked another one, so I don’t have any sympathy for you.”

Greyback kept choking, and Tony was tempted to let him die like this, but he removed the curse at the last moment. Greyback coughed, and then went limp against the floor.

“Look, whatever I do when I’m transformed, I can’t control any of it. I’m sorry I hurt your friends.”

“Shut up, you fucking monster! I’ve told you, I know who you are, and I know you’re far from innocent. I know you turned a little kid just to get back at his father, and I know how much he suffered because of it. I know how you like to torture people, or attacked them even when it isn’t full moon. You’re a sick bastard, and I should kill you right here.” Greyback stared back at him, defiantly, without saying anything. So he’d realized he wouldn’t go anywhere trying to lie. “But I won’t. I won’t kill you, even if I’ve been thinking of doing it all night, and you deserve it.”

Greyback smiled, like he’d already won. “I knew you seemed reasonable, thank you. It’s not our fault, we werewolves aren’t monsters, we’re just…”

This time Tony didn’t bother with a spell, he literally sank to his knees and brought his hand against Greyback’s neck.

“You are not a monster because you’re a werewolf, you’re a monster because of your actions. I repeat for the last time, I know who you are, and you’re going to rot in prison.” Tony tightened his grip against Greyback’s windpipe when it seemed he wanted to say something. Tony wasn’t going to let that show continue, he just wanted to get rid of Greyback. And yes, killing him would have been easier, and more satisfactory, but he was going to do the right thing. He was not a monster.

Tony let go of Greyback and stood up, casting the Silencing Charm before the other could think of saying the last word. He left the armor still pointing the repulsors at Greyback, just in case, and walked out of the room, into the deserted hallway.

“JARVIS, call Bennet. You can put her on speaker,” said Tony, sitting on the floor, back to the Hulk room door.

“What do you want now, Stark?” Bennet answered pretty quickly, exasperation in her voice.

“Well, hello Judy, long time no speak. Listen, I’m only calling you to say thank you for everything you did last night.”

“It’s alright, Tony, you’re welcome. I hope your friend’s fine.”

“Yes, he will be. But I lied, I’m also calling you because I caught the werewolf that turned him, and I got him with me here in New York. I didn’t want to floo the Werewolf Regulations Department again, you know how I hate this. I was hoping you’d pass along the message.”

“For the love of… Tony, I’m the president of the MACUSA, not a fucking owl. Also, did you smuggle a werewolf here from France?” Judy sounded resigned, proof she’d had to deal too many times with Tony.

“Maybe? I’m sorry, Jude, but I wasn’t planning turning him in. Anyway, I think you’ll have more trouble with the British than the French, when they know who he is. They’ll want to extradite him, he was a Death Eater.” Judy sighed over the phone. “But my cousin works in the British Ministry. In the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau, sure, but at least it’s in the same division as the Werewolf Capture Unit. I can go directly to him.”

“I think it would be the best, yes.”

“Wow, who would have thought that Judy Bennet would go against the law someday.”

“Don’t try me, it was you who illegally brought a Death Eater into the US. I could have you arrested for this.”

“But you won’t,” Tony smiled. “I hate to do this to you, but I have to ask for one more favor. I had to tell the Avengers about me being a wizard, and Captain America being a werewolf. And I don’t want to erase them, I just can’t, they have to know...”

“It’s alright, Tony. I already knew it had to happen, so I’ve already arranged everything. You can tell them.”

Tony sighed in relief. Of course Bennet was three steps ahead. “Thank you, Judy. Thank you so much. You’re the best.”

“I know. Listen Tony, I have to go. I hope next time you call me it isn’t because you need to abuse my power.”

“I can’t make any promises. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome. Say hi to Happy for me.”

After saying goodbye, Judy hung up, and Tony stayed where he was sitting on the floor for a few more minutes. He would have to call Felix and arrange to deliver Greyback to him, and then maybe the fucker would rot forever in Azkaban where he belonged, but it wouldn’t take just a phone call. Much to Tony’s horror, Felix had honored the British tradition of wizards not interacting with muggle (as they called it) technology, and Tony didn’t feel like sticking his head into a fireplace again. Besides, he needed to talk to Steve. He couldn’t avoid it anymore.

 

* * *

 

Tony shouldn’t have dreaded the talk with Steve so much. It went much better than expected, and Steve took it rather well, at least better than waking up in a whole new millennium. Maybe it was because he still was in shock, but he seemed lucid enough, remembering all that had happened and all the times he’d woken up, which made Tony’s job slightly easier. Also, Steve said he wasn’t in pain, which was surprising, but maybe not considering the supersoldier healing.

Tony expected Steve to get mad at him for all the lying and omission about him being a wizard, but he didn’t, quite the contrary; he understood it was out of his hands. Actually, Clint and Bruce were the ones annoyed at him for not telling them sooner, the last because of all the new research he could do, and the former because he found it cool, now that he didn’t need to worry about Steve’s life on the line.

Still, after explaining everything to the team, Tony suspected they didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, except Thor. Clint was even cracking jokes about it, making Tony cringe.

“It’s not funny, Clint. Steve could have died.” Tony couldn’t stop thinking about it. It would have been his fault.

“I didn’t, you saved me,” said Steve, determination in his eyes and not letting room for an argument, even if all Tony did was apparate him to a hospital. “And you said you’ll make me a potion so I don’t lose control. So it’s all good.”

Tony wanted to protest, to tell him it really wasn’t a solution, he would still suffer, even more than if his mind also turned. But Steve wouldn’t believe him until he truly did transform, so he was glad when Thor changed the subject.

“I’m surprised your community still exists, I thought you were extinguished. Last time I was on Midgard you were more integrated and easy to find.” When Thor said the last time he’d been on Earth, he probably was referring to the Middle Ages. Nice.

“Well, and we also got burned at the stake, so I guess hiding was the next logical step.”

“Were you alive then?” Clint asked.

“What? Of course not. Wizards can live a little longer than No-Majs, but I was still born on 1970.”

“So is JARVIS magic? That’s why no one else has created such an AI.”

“JARVIS is purely my tech baby. Got nothing to do with magic.”

“Sir has proposed to make me a body integrating android technology and magic, but I have so far refused,” added JARVIS, oh so helpful.

“It that possible?” Bruce asked Tony, eyes shining brightly.  

“J, you’re giving away Daddy’s secrets,” Tony complained, but JARVIS could pick the fond tone on his voice. “And yes, I guess it’s possible, I haven’t tried, though,” he answered Bruce. “My bots have some magic, but it’s basically to stay self-sufficient. An android body would be more complex.”

Bruce clearly looked like he wanted to keep asking questions, but Clint wasn’t done yet.

“Is someone else we know a wizard?”

“Yes,” Tony said, and the others staked quiet for a few seconds, obviously waiting for him to go on. He still wasn’t sure if he should say anything else.

“Come on, don’t be like that!” Clint protested. “We know already about you, tell us more.”

“It’s not really my place to tell,” Tony ended up saying, ignoring Clint’s look and avoiding Steve’s. Maybe he’d taken being a werewolf quite well, but Tony didn’t know how he would react if he knew Aunt Peggy was a witch. “But it doesn’t matter. We witches and wizards are more common than you think, but still a great majority tends to stick to their own isolated lives. Now less than before, of course, but there’re still a lot of conservatives, especially in Europe. My cousin doesn’t even have a phone, the heathen, I’ll have to fly to London to talk to him later.”

“Wait, you have a cousin?” Clint asked as if this was weirder than having magic.

“I have quite the extended family,” Tony answered with a fond and sad smile. Yes, there had been a few crazy nazis in his own family, like his oldest cousin, his uncle and his grandparents, but most of them ended up fighting in the right side of the war, even if that had cost them too much.     

“It’s hard to believe, it’s like you’ve been living two different lives,” Steve commented, but it didn’t sound like a reproach. And it was true.

“I guess I have. But I’m still the same, guys. And I’ve always been more tuned to the No-Maj world than the magical one, to be honest. I guess it’s because I can’t stand wizards not knowing how to even take a fucking selfie.” He thought of Happy, trying and failing to use his tablet, even after many years of knowing Tony. It had gotten to the point that Tony though it wasn’t because he was a wizard, but because he was just clueless, and nothing could ever change that.

“You still have a lot to explain to us,” said Natasha, who’d been unusually quiet during all the conversation. Tony could swear he’d seen her brain gears running at full capacity, and he was sure she was trying to identify more wizards and witches. Maybe she would figure out Happy and Sharon, but Tony doubted she’d know about Coulson. Phil wouldn’t have become a spy if it wasn’t for his ability to hide and seem perfectly normal, and not even Natasha would suspect of him. More common than any of the Avengers could think, indeed.

“Yeah, I do. If you have any questions, go ahead, but it would take me too much time to explain how the whole magical world works. And it’s not even important, it’s not like you’re going to interact a lot with them, just me and… Steve.”

For a few seconds nobody said anything, but it was Steve who cut the tension in the room.

“So that means I can do magic, now, too?”

“No,” Tony laughed at Steve’s disappointed expression, and even if he still felt guilty about what happened, and was sure Steve would end up hating him and the magical community after his first transformation, couldn’t help but joke a little. “You’re just a glorified dog, sorry.”

 

* * *

 

Tony hadn’t been so nervous since… he couldn’t even remember.

He got out of the elevator and knocked on Steve’s apartment door, even if JARVIS announcing his presence would have been more effective. But Tony knew Steve preferred it that other way, and those last days had been hard on him, the first transformation always was, so Tony would do anything for letting him feel at ease. Because it was only going to get worse.

Steve opened the door after a minute of Tony nearly losing his mind in the hallway. He looked tired, with purple bags under his bloodshot eyes and blonde hair in disarray. But he still was smiling.

“Thank you, Tony.”

Tony smiled back and stepped into Steve’s apartment, taking the potion vial out of his pocket.

Tony knew the potion was foolproof. He’d made no mistake, he never did, and he didn’t even let DUM-E within five meters of the cauldron, so there was absolutely no chance of motor oil contamination. Just to be sure, and only because he’d never brewed the Wolfsbane Potion to actually be used by someone, he’d flown to Ilvermorny and asked Professor Collins for her opinion. While he waited for the professor to inspect his potion he felt like a student again, and he even started sweating a little bit, like that time when he’d accidentally poured coffee in the Felix Felicis and thought he was going to fail the mid-term (she didn’t notice, the potion worked alright, and it tasted even better).

This time, though, any mistake could mean Steve was going to fully turn into a werewolf, so it was unacceptable. Professor Collins reassured him the potion was as perfect as it should be, and it would work, so Tony shouldn’t be that nervous. At least not in front of Steve.

“There you have it, you should drink it two or three hours before sundown,” Tony said while handing the vial to Steve, who took it and went to sit on the sofa, gesturing for Tony to do the same. “I’m sorry, but it will taste bad. I would have changed it if I could.”

“It’s alright, Tony. Thank you,” Steve repeated, and sounded so genuine Tony wanted to punch himself. He’d had almost four weeks to come to terms that Steve’s turning hadn’t really been his fault, at least not all of it, but he should have known these feelings would resurface when approaching the full moon again.

Tony reminded himself it was Greyback’s fault, who was already rotting at Azkaban where he should have always been, and smiled at Steve.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” The team had already talked about it. Even if Steve would retain his mind, he’d insisted to spent the night in the Hulk room, just in case, and he’d said the team should rest and not worry about him, he’d be okay alone. Everybody had protested, but they’d all reluctantly agreed at the end.

But that was a week ago, before Steve started suffering from the pre-full moon symptoms. Tony wanted to be there for him.

“You don’t have to,” Steve replied, just as he’d done before, and even if Tony expected it, he couldn’t help but be disappointed. Steve deserved someone with him.

“I want to. You don’t have to be alone, Steve. I’ll just keep you company.”

“What if I hurt you?”

“Hello? You’re holding a Wolfbane Potion that I made. You won’t hurt me,” Tony said, more confidence in his voice that he really felt, but again, Steve didn’t need that. He needed to feel safe and in control. And goddammit, Tony was right, the potion was totally going to work and there was nothing they should be worried about.

“I trust you. But…” Steve hesitated, looking so old and young at the same time. Ironically, it fit him perfectly. “I don’t know if I want you to see me like… You don’t… I don’t want you to be scared of me, of what I will…”

“Steve,” Tony interrupted him, moving closer to Steve. “I’m not afraid of werewolves. I’m not afraid of you. If you don’t want me there, I won’t be, but I need you to know that you don’t have to be alone.”

Steve smiled again, and they started talking about everything and nothing. Tony tried to make Steve’s mind wander away from the night to come, and maybe he succeeded, because Steve seemed relaxed, at least until the time to drink the potion came.

Steve drank it like a champ, not even grimacing at the horrible taste of the silver liquid (Tony knew, he’d tried it). He then stood up and announced he would be going to the Hulk’s room, despite sundown still being a few hours away.

“Tony, will… will you come with me, please?”

Tony paused for a moment. He’d been hopeful, but he’d been sure Steve wouldn’t want him to come. In his place, Tony would have definitely refused, would’ve wanted to live through it alone. Tony was glad Steve was able to forget his pride and let other people in, Tony wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to stand the night with only JARVIS’s updates.

“Of course, Steve. I’m here for anything you need.”


End file.
